Lifeboat detaching gear



Sept. 5, 1933. c, HUNT LIFEBOA'I DETACHING GEAR Original Filed April 25, 1929 Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNl'lED STA LIFEBOAT DETACHING GEAR Charles Hunt, Washington, D. 0.

Application April 25, 1929, Serial No. 357,991 Renewed February 1, 1933 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in lifeboat detaching gear.

Heretofore, I have proposed a gear of this character, comprising latches which act as hooks for 5 connecting the lifeboat tackle blocks, and the locking links which engage with them, and in that proposal, a shaft extending lengthwise of the lifeboat, is provided with a handle at its medial portion to permit both latches to be simultaneously actuated by a single operator.

' The primary object of the present invention is to improve such a gear by arranging detachable connections between the latches and their actuating means. In gearing of this character, the actuating means includes turnbuckles having eyes at their ends, and in the present invention, these eyes are detachably connected to the latch actuating levers. p

A further object of the invention is to furnish an improvement of this order, in which each of the connecting devices is of special form to permit it to be readily attached and detached, and to allow the operator to use one end of the same as a handle for manipulating the latch lever from said levers. i

The mechanism which I heretofore proposed, included cheek plates arranged at the bow and the stern of a lifeboat, and carrying the latches. As the ends of the latch operating levers enter these plates when the latches are thrown to open position, I have provided each cheek plate with a slot to allow the connecting device handle to be moved to the desired extent in opening the latch, without interference on the partof the cheek plate.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in.

element which I have designed for improving structures of this character.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a detail.

wvhen the main operating means is disengaged,

In the drawing, 5 indicates a lifeboat having brackets or cheek plates 6 secured by any suitable means such as bolts orscrews 7, to the bow and stern'posts of the boat. Each of these brackets carries latching mechanism provided with de- 9 pending levers 8 that are pivotally connected to turnbuckles 9 which have their lower ends pivotally connected to arms 10 that are fixed to the ends of an oscillating shaft 11. This shaft is journaled in bearings 12, carried by the framework of the boat, and the shaft has fast on its intermediate portion, an operating handle 13. As long as this handle is in a horizontal position, the latches will be closed, but when the operator swings the handle upwardly, the latches will be thrown to open position.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each latch mechanism preferably includes a dog or lug 14, which is pivotally mounted at 15 upon one of the brackets. A link 16 is pivotally connected at 17 to the dog, and its opposite end is pivotally connected to one of the depending levers 8, which lever is pivotally mounted upon the bracket.

In the present improvements, each of the levers 8 is of fork-shape to permit the eye 18 of the turnbuckle to fit betweenthe same, and these parts are detachably connected together by the special pin 19, shown in Figse and 5. Each pin includes a handle 20, a disk 21, a fulcrum portion 22, and a threaded shank 23. When the pin is in position, its fulcrum portion extends through one of the legs of the lever 8, to act as a bearing for the eye of the turnbuckle, and the threaded shank screws into a threaded aperture in the other leg of the same lever. It will be obvious that the operator, by engaging the handle portion 20 of the pin for turning the latter, may quickly attach the eye of the turnbuckle to the lever 8, or detach said eye from the lever. Consequently, if the main operating mechanism should, for any reason, get out of order, it can be readily and expeditiously disconnected from the levers 8. After either one of the pins 19 is disconnected for releasing the eye of the turnbuckle, the pin can immediately be returned to its attached position on the lever 8, and then the operator, by manipulating the handle portion of the pin, may move the lever 8 from the position shown in Fig. 2, into the Fig. 3 position for opening the latch. In such movement, the outer end of the lever 8 swings to a position within the bracket, and in order to allow this movement without interference by the projecting handle of the pin 19, the bracket is provided with an arc-shaped slot 24 in one of its side plates. This arrangement will also prevent the operators hand from being cut or mashed by the bracket or lever 8, while the latch isbeing thrown into open position.

In operation, it will be apparent that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the latches closed and engaging the end links of the supporting chains or the like, and when the links are to be opened, the operator may accomplish'this result by moving the handle 13 upwardly. However, if for any reason, the parts should fail to function under such manner of operation, then the operator can simply remove the pins 19 to allow the turnbuckles 9 to disconnect immthelevers 8, and then return the pins to their connected position with the levers, to permit the 'operator to open the latches by swinging the levers 8 while using the handle portions of the pins for-this purpose.

From the foregoing it is believed that the con- "said link and turn buckle, means for actuating said turn buckle from a remote point for imparting movement to the latch dog, a pin detachably conmeeting the lever and turn buckle, said pin having :a projecting handle and the bracket having a slot to accommodate said'handle when the lever is actuated through the turn buckle.

CHARLES HUNT. 

